Frousin
by Hyrde
Summary: Definition: (noun) a cousin who is also your best friend. Dean Ambrose loved his cousin Teensy. They were kindred spirits and partners in crime. But that all changed when the social workers came and took her away. 15 years later and Dean has never stopped looking for her. Will they ever see each other again? Does she even remember him?
1. Chapter 1

Frousin

**This fic is inspired by one of Jon Moxley/Dean Ambrose's early promos in which he talks about his little cousin.**

Frousin: definition, (noun) a cousin who is also your best friend.

_That's what Teensy was to Dean. They were frousins. She had been his only light at a time when he felt like the darkness was constantly trying to suffocate him from all sides. Her existence kept him from drugs, from getting into trouble with the law. While he made sure she ate and played with her at the park, his friends got busted for vandalism and got shipped off to juvie and while he's not a bad guy he's not certain that had it not been that he felt responsible for his little cousin and looked after her that he would have gone along with his friends and got busted along with them._

_She had shot into his heart like an arrow the minute he met her. His mom's sister needed somewhere to crash after her latest 'boyfriend' had kicked her out. Although it was supposed to be temporary, Dean knew by now at the tender age of seven that when adults said 'temporary' they meant for the foreseeable future. Dean didn't care for his aunt. She smelled even worse than mom usually did and her shrill voice grated on his eardrums. However the tiny two year old that she tugged in after her with a head of frizzy hair and big brown eyes brought Dean rushing over immediately and staring curiously at her as his aunt and mom introduced them._

"_Dean, this is your cousin, Irene, she's going to be living with us for a while so you'll have to share your room."_

"_Irene this is Dean. Say hi."_

_Dean softly said, "Hi," not being his usually crazy self because, for some reason, he didn't want Irene to be afraid of him. Perhaps it was because there were no children around his remote age in their apartment complex and he was craving a friend or he thought that perhaps he had found a kindred spirit in Irene. It was probably a combination of both._

_Irene, for her part, cocked her head to the side and gave Dean a small smile._

"_Wanna play?" asked Dean holding out his hand to his cousin and only after a few seconds of hesitation, Irene's smile grew wider and she put her hand in his as he pulled her into his room. From that moment on, the two of them were inseparable._

_Dean, after a few days, dubbed Irene 'Teensy' because he couldn't help but be amazed at how tiny she was compared to him. He was also amused though that despite her size she was a stubborn little thing and would follow him anywhere on the jungle gym. She was convinced that if her big cousin could do it, so could she._

_Dean would always endlessly tease her for her efforts but he also was proud of her for her resilience. Plus he was the only one who could tease her. If anyone else dared to say something nasty to her because of her size or another stupid reason, he wouldn't hesitate to knock them to the ground and make them eat dirt even when the wannabe bullies were sometimes double his own size._

_For the next seven years, Dean took care of her and she of him. Dean taught her how to brush her teeth carefully so she wouldn't get painful cavities like he did. He read and told her bedtime stories, would let her sleep with him when she had a nightmare or was sick. He would stay home with her when she was sick because she knew her mom wouldn't take care of her properly._

_Teensy would scold Dean if he didn't eat his vegetables or if he cursed. She loved to play doctor if he ever needed a Band-Aid from one of his scraps on the playground or a run in with one of the many bullies in town. She would scratch his back when it itched and she would let him play the prince when they played one of their favorite games 'Rescue the princess from the dragon' game even though she hated being the stupid princess who didn't get to do anything except just stay in the 'tower' and look scared. But she obliged because she loved Dean._

_However, their world as they knew it came crashing down just a few days after Dean's fourteenth birthday. It hadn't been her fault. Dean would never fault her; she had no idea what would happen. She had been only nine for crying out loud. _

_Teensy had gotten really upset when one of Dean's mom druggie friends came over when both their moms were out 'working'. The guy had come to get a much needed fix but found just two kids instead. Dean protected her like he always did but after the guy left. Dean could barely crawl much less bring himself to a sitting position. That freaked Teensy out. She had never witnessed her best friend getting hurt so badly. They both cried themselves to sleep that night._

_Dean always told her not to tell anyone what happened in their apartment because it was 'none of their business'. But the next day at school, when Irene couldn't stop crying the whole story came bursting out of her when her teacher asked what was wrong. Immediately, she was shepherded into one of the guidance counselor's office and the principal called CPS._

_Dean was pressured into telling the truth when confronted with his little cousin and the douche CPS social worker that told him if he cared at all about Teensy that he would tell them everything. So he did. He thought they would understand that he could take care of her. He thought his actions alone proved that he fucking could! But the fuckers didn't see it that way._

_They knew of a better place for her, they said. He denied, pleaded, and begged them to at least take him with her. They said it was impossible. He was too old. He would go someplace else._

_The last time he saw his Teensy. They had been clutching each other in a fierce embrace, told by the social workers to say good-bye. When they wouldn't let go, they ripped her from his arms. She began screaming and crying for Dean reaching out to touch him one more time. He shouted and cursed, screaming her name in turn and had to be held by four police officers so that he couldn't run to her. _

_The last image of her, in his mind, was a terrified nine-year-old girl with tears streaming down her face looking at him to save her. But he couldn't save her. They had taken her away. The only good thing he had ever been granted in this life._

Dean sighed as he put his head in his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed. Without fail, during this time of the year, he would always be plagued by those memories of Teensy and sleep would always elude him.

It was now 15 years to the day when they had been cruelly torn apart. Dean always wondered. Where did they take her? Was it a nice place? Was it a horrible place? Where is she now? Is she even alive? That last question, if he was being honest, haunted him the most. Dean didn't know what he would do if he found out that she was dead.

No, he told himself fiercely, she was alive she had to be. Teensy was always a fighter, a survivor like him. She was fine. One of these days they would see each other again. That slim hope kept him going. That and wrestling which he couldn't deny that he loved.

Since he had made it in the WWE, he had hired a private investigator to try and find out what happened to her but so far the search had proved fruitless. But he wouldn't give up looking for her. He would never give up on her.

Dean turned his head as the girl he fucked that night shifted in the bed. Thankfully for him she didn't wake up. He didn't really want to entertain a woman right now and besides he had picked her up for her looks not her conversation skills. He had hoped that a good fuck session would have left him too worn out to think and let him get some rest instead of dwelling on the past. But that just wasn't in the cards for him tonight.

Dean looked at the clock. It was now four in the morning. At this point he knew he wasn't getting any sleep. Deciding to go for a run, Dean silently changed into workout clothes, grabbed his music, some water and keys. Yes, he thought, a nice long run in the desert would do him good.

* * *

><p>Irene quickly shut the alarm off and groggily pulled herself out of bed. She always had this struggle in the morning. She initially would hate waking up so early but after she got some coffee in her, she loved it.<p>

Pulling on a jacket and shoes, Irene forced herself out of her warm sleeping bag and tent into the chilly morning air. Jack was already lighting up the campfire for coffee and breakfast. Irene gave him a slight nod as she went into the woods to do her business.

Irene was a rock climber and a pretty hard-core one at that. Right now she lived with her friends as they went from place to place around the country, completing first climbs, exploring and generally loving life. They all had special skill sets that earned them the bare minimum they needed for food, gear, gas, clothes and any other expense that came up.

It was a hard life with few comforts but it was incredibly freeing. For Irene that was what was important: her freedom to go wherever she wanted to go with nothing or no one tying her down.

She made her way back to camp after she finished with Mother Nature's call. A curious sight awaited her. A man was standing around the campfire with Jack who obviously wasn't a climber and stood out like a sore thumb. He was wearing clothes that one would wear to an office and his silver Toyota Camry completed the picture of a guy who was maybe mid-level management of some company or other.

For a moment, Irene wondered if this was a potential sponsor. That would be wonderful! While they were all great rock climbers none of them had gotten much notice and sponsors for rock climbers were not as plentiful as they were in other sports.

Jack waved her over to the campfire as soon as he spotted her. Irene put on a smile instead of her usual morning scowl and walked up to them.

"This is Irene," said Jack as he introduced her to the stranger who was looking at her with a curious expression on his face.

"Hey," Irene greeted as she held out a hand and the stranger took it.

"Hello, are you Irene Moxley?" asked the man getting straight down to business.

Irene glanced at Jack for a second with raised eyebrows, who was this guy?

"Yeah…" she said hesitatingly, "and you are?"

"Oh yes, please forgive my manners," said the man looking a little flustered, "my name is Brian Tarey, private investigator," Brian explained as he handed Irene his card.

Immediately, Irene was on edge. Who the hell was this guy? What did he want with her?

"I've been looking for you for a long time," said Brian smiling at her, "although certainly not as long as my client has."

"What do you mean? Whose been looking for me?" asked Irene now generally confused.

"Your cousin, Dean Ambrose."

**Author's Notes: So, this is my first attempt at a story with an O/C character. I would really like your honest opinion about this fic, especially the character of Irene(Teensy). Let me know if you would like me to continue this story. I always appreciate feedback whether it's good or bad.**

**Please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Frousin

Irene bounced her knees up and down nervously in the passenger front seat of the P.I.'s car. Her mind was racing a mile a minute and it was killing her that she had to sit still with no way to let any of her nervous energy out. Dean would've understood her predicament. They had both been hyperactive and always needed to be in constant motion which was one of many reasons why they played so well together.

_Dean._ Irene bit down on one of her fingernails nervously as she tapped her other hand on her bouncing knee as she stared out the window. From the moment that the P.I., Brian Tarey, had spoken her cousin's name she felt as if she was in a dream. It was all so surreal. She had never stopped hoping that she would see Dean again but after so many years the logical part of her brain was starting to doubt her feeble hope.

Irene let out another deep sigh. While she had instantly packed up her possessions and got into the car with a perfect stranger at the mere mention of Dean, she still didn't fully believe that this Brian was telling the truth. She couldn't allow herself to believe it. Not until she actually saw him would she believe it.

"I texted him," said Brian to break the silence.

Irene looked at Brian and squinted her eyes at him.

Brian started to squirm a bit under her intense stare but valiantly tried to continue to make small talk, "soooo…Mr. Ambrose or Dean, said that he's on the road but he would make a detour and meet us outside of my office in Vegas, if that's alright with you?"

Irene simply nodded and turned to stare back out the window again. That didn't prevent the P.I. from continuing to carry on the one-sided conversation.

"You know you were extremely hard to track. Not uncommon but your records were so incomplete even for a foster kid and that's saying a lot," said Brian as he sort of chuckled to himself, "I never said this to Mr. Ambrose, of course, I like to spare my clients the painful details when I can and keep on trying to find their loved ones no matter the odds."

_Good for you_, thought Irene sarcastically to herself as she rolled her eyes, _the guy sounds as if he's auditioning for a Hallmark movie._

"You know the two of you look nothing alike. I mean you are cousins and not siblings, but still, I was thinking that perhaps you would have some similar features…"

Irene stopped tapping her knee and instead clenched her hand into a fist and then released it. She repeated this action over and over as she gritted her teeth. The sound of Brian's voice was really starting to grate on her nerves. She needed to think and process this information that had just been dumped on her not even an hour ago. But this guy's annoyingly high voice was not letting her focus and was disturbing her thoughts.

"You know my aunt always said…"

"Brian."

"Yes?" asked Brian as he looked over to the young woman who fixed him with a hard glare.

"Shut up."

Brian was left speechless for a few moments as Irene turned back to the window.

"Well the two of you may look nothing alike but you both share the same poor manners," sniffed Brian obviously insulted as he turned his eyes back to the road.

_I couldn't care less what you think about me, Brian_, thought Irene scathingly, _just so long as you keep quiet._

* * *

><p>Dean paced back and forth furiously as he checked his watch for about the billionth time today. He then looked down the road again and not spotting what he was looking for let out a frustrated sigh and continued to pace. Seth and Roman shared a knowing glance. Dean had been doing this for the past two hours and they were really starting to wonder what the hell was going on.<p>

They three of them had been hanging out backstage after another taping of Smackdown when Dean had gotten a text. Normally Dean would just glance at a text and either scoff at the offending phone and put it back into his pocket, or send a short reply. However this particular text had all the blood rushing out of Dean's face and he had raced outside roughly stating that he needed to make a phone call.

Then things had gotten even stranger as Dean came back about a half hour later and hurriedly asked if Seth and Roman would come with him.

"_Can you guys come with me? I…I need to do something and I can't do it alone," Dean forced out as he stared almost pleadingly as his two friends. "But you can't ask any questions," said Dean quickly as Seth began to open his mouth to do just that, "at least not right now. I promise I will explain… but later," finished Dean as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair._

"_Ok." Said Roman simply and Seth nodded in agreement. _

_The two of them then followed the Lunatic Fringe out to the car. Roman offered to drive and Dean silently agreed and handed Roman the address. Seth put the address into the GPS and the three of them rode the whole way mostly in silence._

Seth's mind was bursting with questions as he watched his friend pace up and down the sidewalk. He was really trying to respect Dean's wishes but he couldn't help but wonder what had his friend acting even crazier than normal. And that's saying a lot.

"Should we be worried?" whispered Roman to Seth as the two of them continued to keep an eye on their friend's movements.

"Nah," Seth said a little more confidently than he felt, "It'll probably make sense soon enough."

"And if it doesn't?" asked Roman quietly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," whispered Seth back, refusing to believe that his friend had legitimately gone insane.

Sure, Dean was eccentric, no question about it, but Seth had found, in being his friend, that Dean always had a reason for everything he did. It just wasn't always clear in the beginning.

Dean froze as he turned to look back up the road and finally spotted Brian's car in the distance. _Shit, shit, shit_, Dean thought as he wrung his hands thinking about what he would say, _play it cool, Dean. Don't freak her out. _Dean told himself furiously as the car pulled up and parked on the side of the road outside the office where Dean, Seth and Roman were waiting.

Dean didn't move but watched as the car door opened and out stepped a tall, young woman. _Wait, she's not Teensy, she's too tall. _Dean thought instantly but then internally smacked himself. _Of course, she's tall, you idiot! Everyone in our family is so why shouldn't she also grow up to be tall._

Dean's doubts ceased though when the young woman turned and caught his gaze. It was her. A lot of her had changed but her big, brown eyes were the same as well as her frizzy hair which was barely contained in a high ponytail.

Dean also observed how at first, Irene was also confused not recognizing him as well. But then confusion turned to recognition and her eyes widened slightly as they both stared at each other for the first time in 15 long years.

After a few minutes of just staring, Dean decided to make the first move and walked up to her slowly. She didn't run. Which Dean took as a good sign but he did notice her tense up ever so slightly not sure what he was going to do.

Dean had thought of this moment for years. He had envisioned that he would make some spectacular gesture or a grand speech that would be worthy of the history books but there was no gesture that could communicate his feelings or any words that could express how his heart felt. Instead Dean settled for the simplest of greetings.

"Hi," said Dean softly holding out his hand to Irene like he did that first day they had met and he had asked her if she wanted to play with him.

"Hi," whispered Irene softly as she gazed up at her cousin almost in wonder. Irene looked down at his hand and then let herself smile as she remembered the significance of the gesture and without a further thought placed her hand in his. That small touch then seemed to unfreeze the two of them because as soon as their hands touched they both realized that it wasn't enough and they, after all this time, were finally together again.

They both pulled each other into a fierce hug both squeezing each other as if their life depended upon it.

"I'm sorry, forgive me, I'm sorry," Dean whispered into Teensy's ear over and over again as he rocked them back and forth.

"I knew you'd find me, I knew you'd find me," whispered Irene back at Dean as she struggled to blink away tears. She didn't want to cry. Not now. Not when she was so unbelievably happy.

The two of them stayed in that embrace for a good ten minutes until the clearing of a throat alerted them to the presence of those who were hanging back and watching them.

"Perhaps, you would like to step inside," suggested Brian the P.I. as he gestured to the front door of his office.

"Actually we should get back on the road," said Dean quickly as he was brought back to reality, "Teensy you're coming with, right?" Asked Dean as he looked down at his cousin who was still hugging him and he her.

"Yep," said Irene with a smile, "Do you have room for my stuff?"

"Depends," said Roman walking up to the two cautiously still thoroughly confused, "how much stuff do you have?"

"Not a lot," said Irene breaking up the hug and walking to the back of Brian's car to open up the backseat and gesture at the few boxes and bags within it.

"That's it?" asked Roman incredulously, "There's not anything in the trunk?"

"Nope," said Irene with a shrug as she reached in the back to grab the first bag and hoist it onto her shoulder, "That's it."

"Yeah, cous, we've got room for it," grinned Dean as he went to the other side of the car and opened up the opposite door so he could help move her stuff to their car.

"Hi, I'm Seth," greeted Seth as he held out a hand for Irene to shake.

"Hey, I'm Irene," said Irene to Seth as she shook his hand.

"Sorry, I'm Roman," said Roman as he also remembered his manners and held out his hand to her.

"Oh yeah, my bad, guys, I'm sorry," said Dean coming back from their car in order to get the last box from the back of the car. "This is my cousin, Irene, whom I haven't seen in 15 years. She'll probably be on the road with us for a bit. Right, Teensy?"

"Right," confirmed Irene with a grin as they loaded the last of her stuff into the trunk of the car.

**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


End file.
